The East German secret police, the Stasi, had a file on cellist Jan Vogler the director of the festival who still enjoys a big career playing and recording. He was a suspicious character because he traveled to the US to study at Juilliard. Jan has seen the file which isn’t very interesting. He was very […]

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the Festival several days this summer among the glittering guests that gaze at the Fortress on the hill behind the complex of concert halls including the Felsenreitschule used mostly for opera where Julie Andrews sang in the Sound of Music. Before music one must have schnitzel. A lunch at […]

Essen is much like Pittsburgh as a major source of energy for the country with a long mining and steel making tradition. Two major energy producers are located here. There are several museums devoted to coal and steel, one with a world heritage site designation. Many member od the Pittsburgh Symphony went to investigate on […]

Thomas Mann’s vast novel Magic Mountain explores the emotional character of aloof northerners with sunnier Southern Latin types but there were only warm and friendly music lovers at the beautiful Elbphilharmonie with the two concerts of the Pittsburgh Symphony on Wednesday and Thursday. The weather was perfect. It’s a challenge to describe the beauty of […]

Sunday evening of the Pittsburgh Symphony Tour was the first anniversary of the attack on the three congregations meeting at the Tree of life Building in Squirrel Hill on October 27 2018. It  was a travel day for the Pittsburgh Symphony leaving Hamburg and heading to Hanover.  Music Director Manfred Honeck headed to Berlin with […]

It was a full rehearsal this morning at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater. It’s a giant structure for a mere 900-seat theater. The orchestra played without an acoustical shell. Stage hands set up a screen behind the orchestra and used blue gels to backlight it. This doesn’t make for ideal acoustics, but some […]

Here’s some video footage from the Pittsburgh Symphony’s 2010 European Tour. Part 1 Part 2

The Pittsburgh Symphony’s European Tour 2010 is history, with a final playing of Grieg, Khachaturian, and Brahms encores. Cellist Jan Vogler played the Schumann Concerto and a Bach encore with distinction. At intermission, Vogler said his colleagues at the Dresden Festival, where the Pittsburgh played last week, thought the Pittsburgh visit was the highlight of […]

I met Pittsburgh-born harpsichordist Geoffrey Thomas at the home of Hungary’s most famous composer, Bela Bartok. I took a taxi for the 15 minute drive to the house from Pest over to Buda on the hilly side of the Danube River. Birds sang sweetly as I walked up the path to the house that’s surrounded […]

Must run. I just wanted you to see a little of the second and final concert in Vienna. I ran into the wife of artist Henry Koerner, Joan, at the famous Demel’s pastry shop yesterday. Then it was on to the Central, where a pianist entertained the café regulars. Nikolai Znaider, the soloist we’ve had […]